Poignant New Artwork Shows Little Boy Peering Over U.S.-Mexico Border

A street artist from France has created a thought-provoking piece of art on the U.S.-Mexico border.

JR shared a snap of his new work in progress ― an enormous portrait of a young boy playing on the Mexican side of the border ― on Twitter on Wednesday. The striking image has since gone viral on Reddit.

JR’s statement suggested the boy could be “looking over the border worried that if things get crazier on the other side, people will massively cross the border in his direction.”

But ultimately, the artist said he just couldn’t tell what his piece really signified, saying only that it was “a continuation” of the global InsideOut 11M project he helped start in 2013.

That initiative honored “the power and dignity” of the estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants living in the U.S. “by displaying their portraits in public spaces around the world,” according to its website.